Jordan G. – Bell Gardens High School

Pubililius Syrus once said, “Debt is the slavery of the free.” Free human-beings must work like slaves to pay off their debt. For many college-graduating students, debt is a deep hole one must climb out of. After receiving degrees from college, many students are not guaranteed a job after they graduate. Instead of putting their education to good use, students begin working minimum wage jobs to pay off their debt; this may take years to achieve. However, students should seek financial advice and find ways to stay debt-free.

One way to stay-debt free is having a savings account that is dedicated only to college. By being organized with money, one does not have to worry about which account to take money from. The account that is dedicated to college will be only used for college essentials. For example, textbooks, school supplies, laptop maintenance, and transportation can be paid for with this account. Many students use financial aid carelessly and have to take out student loans in order to pay for classes. This is where prioritization comes into play. Prioritization is underestimated for college-students. Many students prefer new clothes over handy school supplies. By not putting important things first, many students fall behind on keeping up with payments for units. My Human Anatomy teacher, Mrs. Pamplin, told us to get multiple jobs to have a good source of income to support collegiate needs. Another way to avoid debt is to not rely on credit cards and pay everything cash; by doing so, you don’t need payments and everything is up front.

In conclusion, I believe student debt is unavoidable. However, minimizing the debt is possible. With self-control, discipline, and eagerness to become successful, one can achieve this. Students should seek financial advice and take courses to understand how every decision they make can affect their future.